Symmetric Engineering Group

By NICK BILTON

Is it a plane? Is it a car? No, it’s a super flying car-plane!

If you’ve ever had the burden of trying to decide between driving or flying to work, soon you’ll be able to do both. Terrafugia, a company based in Woburn, Mass., is building a car that can also fly. The company has recently won approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to move ahead with the project, even thought the car, called The Transition, is 110 pounds heavier than other planes in its class. The additional weight is needed so that the car can contain safety features required by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Anna Dietrich, co-founder and chief operating officer of Terrafugia, said the F.A.A. gave the company an exemption from the agency’s rules to build the car. Many lightweight aircraft have to remain below 1,320 points to be approved for flight by the F.A.A.

“Safety is one of the biggest selling points,” Ms. Dietrich said.  “Because The Transition is designed to operate on the road and in the air, we’ve incorporated all the safety features of a car into a plane.”

The standards and safety rules for cars are much stricter than those for lightweight airplanes, Ms. Dietrich explained. A car, for example, requires airbags, crumple zones for crashes and a protective safety cage; planes do not require these additional features.

So how much will The Transition cost? The company is anticipating a purchase price of $194,000.

The car is expected to begin delivery in about 18 months. Then, according to the company’s Web site, owners will be able to “simply land at the airport, fold your wings up and drive home.”

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